


Legacy

by JustJoanna13



Series: Old World Blues [1]
Category: Fallout 3, Fallout 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-09 13:00:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17407379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustJoanna13/pseuds/JustJoanna13
Summary: Squire Arthur Maxson doesn't have many friends at the Citadel. Almost everyone only sees him as the future legacy of Roger Maxson. However, he soon meets someone who sees him for who he is.





	1. Chapter 1 - The Vault Dweller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur meets a strange woman.

  Squire Arthur Maxson walked through the hallways of the Citadel, making his way to the Lyon's Den. He passed several knights and paladins as he entered the quarters. Inside, were paladins Kodiak and Glade.

_"You hear about that insider they let in?"_

_"They're saying it’s that Vault Dweller we came across earlier."_

_"We're not just going to let another outsider in, are we? We already have enough as it is..."_

Arthur slipped past them and headed towards a bed in the corner of the room. He took out a folded piece of paper from his jacket and put it in a place he knew only she would find it. He wedged it under her mattress until he could see the last part of Sarah Lyon's name written on the front.

_"Meet me at my room after combat practice when you get the chance."_ He had written. _"I have another story I want to show you."_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Swiftly, Arthur snuck out of the room and began to head towards the B Ring. As he entered the section, he could hear his brothers and sisters talking to each other as they reported to their stations.

_"Did you hear? The Enclave is back. They apparently took over Project Purity."_

_"And Madison Li is back, but she brought a bunch of outsiders with her. I don't know if I can trust them. I saw one of them, the vault dweller, snooping around here a minute ago..."_

  The squire continued down the hallway until he reached his quarters. He grabbed onto the doorknob and took a deep breath. He felt relief fall off of his shoulders as he twisted it and opened the door. Finally, he could retreat to his stories before practice. Arthur opened the door and quickly sat by his terminal. He entered his password and opened a new entry: _The Guardians of Gillyford_.  Soon, words spilled out onto the screen as his

_" Whatever shall we do, Mister Wollingsworth?" Molly asked. "Mother will be home shortly, and I've yet to clean my room!"_

_"My, heavens me. Don't fret, Molly-Golly. We'll enlist a little help, that's all." Mister Wollingsworth then waddled his little teddy bear body into the center of the room and called out - in a voice both sweet and strong - to those lying dormant on shelves, in the toybox, under the bed. "_

_"Come now, you lot! Molly-Golly needs our help, and as we're her Guardians, that means we all get-"_

   A small creak quickly snapped Arthur out of his thoughts and he quickly whipped his head around to see an unfamiliar face at the doorway.

   A young woman stood at the doorway.  She wore a blue jumpsuit that immediately gave away that she was the vault dweller everyone had talked about. She had short black hair and a small silver ring on her right ring finger. The woman also had eyeglasses over her small brown eyes, which Arthur so noticed that her eyes were slightly red. The squire stood up from his seat.

"H...hail to you stranger," he greeted. "I am Squire Maxson, loyal servant of steel. It is...an honor to make your acquaintance." The woman narrowed her eyes as she looked at Arthur.

"Relax, squire. I don't bite," she told him. "I'm just looking around."

"I plead for your pardon if my behavior offends you, miss. We don't get many visitors in the Citadel."

"Really? I guess I finally won the lottery. " The woman began to smile. However, Arthur just continued to talk.

"The Brothers and Elder Lyons are excellent teachers, but I get nervous about the protocols. The codex says that outsiders are not to be trusted. Shield yourself from those not bound to you by steel, for they are the blind. Aid them when you can, but lose not sight of yourself, it says."

The woman nodded. "That's understandable. I've met a lot of dangerous people myself."

"It's not simply the outsiders that we are wary of," the squire continued. "Anybody who has not taken the Oath of Fraternity is suspicious to us. However, I would like to know your name, ma'am."

"It's Joanne. You can call me Jo, though," she gently told Arthur.

" Well...Jo..., Elder Lyons trusts you, so you are free to stay here. I'd be happy to help you if you need it." Jo smiled.

"Thank you. The honor is all mine, squire." Arthur looked back at his terminal and felt his face flush red.

" Oh! Well... Thank you! Your words are... very kind. Kinder than those I usually hear... "

  Jo leaned onto Arthur's desk and smiled at him. "Don't mention it, kiddo." She placed her hand on his shoulder and the young boy instantly turned red. Suddenly, Jo put her hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "Anyway, do you think you could show me around a little? I need a little help finding Scribe Jameson." Arthur smiled and gently took her hand out of his hair.

"Of course! Follow me, miss."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Sarah Lyons sat by Arthur's terminal while the young boy waited on his bed. He felt a smile snake up his face as Sarah read his story. Finally, she finally turned towards him.

"Well? What do you think?" he asked her. His heart pounded in his chest.

"I like it," she answered. "You're really talented, Arthur."

"Thank you!  I'm glad you think so!" He looked down at the floor and grinned. 

_I wonder if Jo would like it too?_ he wondered.  The squire turned his attention to the sentinel in front of him.

"I met the vault dweller earlier," Arthur told her. "She's really nice."

"You think so?" Sarah responded.

"I like her. What about you? Do you like her?" 

"Well..." Sarah shifted in her seat. "She's interesting, to say the least. She helped us when fighting a Behemoth a while back. If it wasn't for her I could have died." She sighed. "But she probably won't be around much. She isn't Brotherhood, you know?" Arthur nodded.

"Yeah,...you're probably right." Sarah looked up at him and noticed his frown.

"Hey, cheer up, Arthur. You never know. Maybe one of these days we'll recruit her. She seemed interested when we first met. Then you'd see her more often."

"Yeah, maybe," he answered with a grin washing over his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   For the past few days, Arthur noticed that the Citadel was more busy than normal. The hallways seemed to be more crowded and even if Arthur wanted to escape to the Bailey, he would almost always be stopped due to firing practice. Sarah Lyons seemed to have disappeared from the face of the Earth almost entirely and finally, as Sarah predicted, Jo was also never around.  


  Arthur sat alone in the cafeteria with a box of Fancy Lad Snack Cakes in front of him. He quietly ate his meal while soldiers came and left the room as fast as they had come. There never seemed to be anyone there for at least five minutes.

_"I can't believe that the Enclave is back..."_

_"Do you think we'll be able to stop them this time?"_

   Arthur continued to eat his food as he listened to his brothers and sisters worry. Sarah had told him tales about how the Brotherhood had fought the Enclave in the past. Honestly, he was amazed by them. They had all sorts of technology that the Brotherhood could only dream of acquiring. Vertibirds, advanced power armor, even plasma guns that turned enemies into goo! Arthur could almost imagine him flying in a vertibird with a giant gun in hand. He would mow down super mutants left to right and every one of them turned into a puddle of goo.

"Hey, Arthur!" Arthur quickly snapped out of his daydream to see Jo waving a hand in front of him. "You okay there, kiddo? You're going to get your food stolen if you keep staring off like that."

"Oh! H-hail to you, miss," he stuttered. Jo began to laugh.

"Hey, relax, Arthur! I'm only 19 you don't have to call me miss!"

"Well, greet...greetings to you...Jo..." Jo smiled and ruffled the boy's hair again, causing him to let out a small laugh.

"And greetings to you, Arthur. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing really," he answered. "Everyone's been really busy so I haven't been able to go to practice or anything. What about you?"

"I've just been out roaming around the Wasteland. I have a few stories if you'd like to hear about it. What would you like to hear about? Would you like to hear about the time I saw a living tree? Or maybe how I was trapped in a simulation? Oh! What about the time I came across a sentient android?"

"A sentient android?" Arthur gasped. "How is that possible?"

"I'm not really sure myself," Jo explained. "He looked and acted human. Some wacky technology up north in the Commonwealth apparently." Arthur nodded.

"That's crazy...And you were trapped in a simulation? Is the Capital Wasteland that crazy or is that just you?" Jo laughed.

"Probably both. Have you ever been out there?"

"I went out once a while back. Sarah... Um... Sentinel Lyons took me out. Just to show me. I killed a Super Mutant, too! I swear! I, um... I also sort of shot Sarah. But just a little! It was just a flesh wound..."

"Geez, kiddo, it sounds like you had fun."

"I did! Well, until the super mutants came. After that Sentinel Lyons and I had to rush back..."

Jo smiled and looked Arthur straight in the eye. "How about I take you out sometime? Maybe take you to Rivet City or something. It's gotta be boring being in the Citadel all your life, you know."

"What about the Enclave? It's not safe with them around. And the Elder definitely won't let me leave. I'm the last Maxson. The Enclave could keep me hostage."

"The last Maxson? Why's that so important?"

"Oh, well... You see, I am descended from the great Rodger Maxson, founder of our order. I am the last of his line. They say my soul was forged from eternal steel, but I don't believe that. I'm really just a normal boy." Arthur sighed. "No one else thinks that though."

   Jo stared at Arthur for a minute, quiet. Finally, she spoke up. "I think you're just a normal boy. Just because you descended from this Rodger guy doesn't mean you can't be a normal boy. I'll make sure I can take you out, though, don't worry. I promise." Arthur felt himself turning red. He looked down at his food and quickly finished it before looking back up at Jo.

"I want to show you something!" he blurted out, standing up from his seat. "I...I mean..." Jo smiled and sat up from her seat. Her eyes sparkled.

"Lead the way then, squire," she said. Arthur nodded and began to lead her to his room. Once inside, Arthur gestured towards his terminal. Jo sat down in his chair and opened his terminal.

"I like to write," he told her. "No one really knows but you and Sen- but you and Sarah. You're welcome to read any of the poems or stories, just don't read anything else." Jo clicked onto a poem titled 'Song of the Lightman'.

_Tweedle dumpling, tweedle dare,_  
_Curse the younglings, if you care._  
_For theirs is youth, and joy and power,_  
_Five made one in the Lightman's tower._  
_And when they come, these five of sun,_  
_The Lightman's progeny have won._  
_So sound the trumpets, clear and loud!_  
_And think beyond the Eastern shroud._

"This is beautiful," she told him. Arthur instantly felt a wave of relief and happiness flood him. "I love it. Why don't you show these to anyone else?"

"It's embarrassing, honestly. Besides, I doubt anyone else would care. Before I only trusted Sarah with these." Jo nodded.

"I understand what you mean. I'm glad you trust me this much. I appreciate it." Arthur grinned widely.

There was a knock on the door and the door opened to reveal Sarah Lyons. She scanned the room and smiled when she saw Jo at the terminal. "Scribe Rothchild wishes to speak with you, Joanne," she told her. Jo nodded and stood up from her seat.

"Alright. I'll be there soon." She turned to Arthur and gave him a quick thumbs up. "Okay, kiddo. I'll talk to you later, okay? And don't forget my promise! I'll be back tomorrow!" Jo soon left the room, leaving Sarah standing at the doorway. Before she turned to walk away, she shot Arthur a quick wink before following Jo to the laboratory, leaving Arthur alone in his room with his thoughts swirling.

_"_ _I'll be back tomorrow_ _!"_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally gotten around to make a Fallout fanfiction ^_^


	2. Chapter 2 - The Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Jo go on a little trip.

 Arthur laid in bed, fast asleep. His mind swarmed with images of the Wasteland. He thought of the ruins and the raiders. He thought of the super mutant he killed and the several Sarah killed. He thought of mutated bugs that littered the place. He then thought of Jo. What if they got attacked? What if he shot her too? She would hate him. He imagined walking with her down D.C, everything calm until he felt the ground shake. She didn't feel a thing. Suddenly, the ground shook more and more until finally, a behemoth appeared and ran after Jo. Arthur froze, but Jo continued as if nothing was going on. Finally, the behemoth reached his friend and raised his fists in the air until BO- 

 -OM! The bedroom door slammed open, causing Arthur to fall out of his bed. The boy looked up to see Jo standing at the doorway with a wide smile plastered onto her face. "Come on, Arthur! Ready to head out?" 

 His jaw dropped. "T-to head out? You mean out in the Wastes?" The young woman nodded eagerly. 

"I talked to Elder Lyons. He said we could go as long as...well, he said we could go together. I want to take you to Megaton out west. Don't just stand there! Pack some supplies and meet me out in the bailey!" And with that, the woman slammed the door shut. 

  After what felt like an hour, Arthur felt like he could finally move and began to reach for his things.  His mind flooded with thoughts. 

_We're going out into the Wastes? Is she mad? We'll get killed! But I'd be able to spend a lot of time with her. Maybe I can kill another super mutant! But if something happens I won't be able to protect her. What if it isn't just a flesh wound this time. What if I kill her? What if I die? Everyone will hate her for killing the last Maxson.  
_

 Arthur packed a small bag of supplies and headed towards the Bailey. Once outside, he took a long breath of 'fresh' air. Did it always smell this nice? Nearby, Arthur could see Jo talking to Elder Lyons with a couple of Brotherhood Paladins behind her. As he walked closer, Arthur noticed a grim expression on the Elder's face. 

" _Just make sure you bring him back in one piece, Joanne! My men have their orders and will make sure you do..."_

  Both the Elder and Jo quickly switched to a smile when they saw Arthur approach them. "Hello, Squire Maxson," Elder Lyons greeted. "Are you ready for your trip?" Arthur nodded. 

 "Yes, Elder," he said. "I am." 

"Excellent! Now, squire, make sure to take care of yourself. I trust Miss Joanne here to take good care of you, however, I need to make sure you can handle yourself if things get difficult. Think of it as a test. I'm sure you'll handle everything better than last time." Arthur slowly nodded. 

"Yes, Elder..." 

Jo looked down at Arthur and smiled. "Come on, Arthur. Let's go. We have a lot of land to cover before nightfall." She walked towards the entrance of the Citadel and Arthur soon followed. As the two exited the building, Arthur looked over his shoulder at one last look of his home. He could have sworn those paladins were walking towards the exit too. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

   "So where exactly are we going?" Arthur asked. The two walked north of the Citadel side by side. Jo was fiddling with her Pip-Boy as the song  _Anything Goes_ played from the radio.

   "We're going to Megaton. It's Northwest from here. We'll probably get there by tonight." Jo looked up from her Pip-Boy and threw down her sack. She knelt down and began to rummage through it.

   "Jo, what are you..."

   "Before we get any further," she interrupted, "let me give you this." She pulled out a 10mm pistol and held it out to Arthur. "You might need this along the way."

    Arthur furiously shook his head. "No! I mean...I don't know about this. I mean, last time I was out here, I shot Sarah. Even if it was just a flesh wound, I could still hurt you..." Jo rolled her eyes and placed the gun in between his hands, with her hand on top of his.

    "And how long ago was that?" She asked.

   "About a year ago."

    "And I'm sure the Brotherhood trained you a lot better since then. Just hold onto it just in case. Besides, I doubt we'll need it anyway." Jo went back to rummaging through her bag. "I also got you something else...If I can find it...Ah, here we go." The Vault Dweller pulled out a small notepad and a pencil. "I figured you'd like to write about our trip, you know? So you can write them in your diary la - ." Arthur smiled and soon found himself hugging Jo as tightly as he could. Slowly, Jo wrapped her arms around the boy's body as well.

    "Thank you," he whispered.

    "No problem, kiddo."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

   The two continued down the road across the Capital Wasteland. As they walked, Arthur told Jo the story of when he was last in the Capital Wasteland. He began to talk about all of the places they went to and started to describe their battle with super mutants. He felt himself getting excited as he described the battle. Sarah shot down several super mutants, all while keeping them away from him. She never hesitated as they kept coming and coming, getting shot after shot after shot! Jo quickly shushed the boy. 

 "Not too loud, kiddo." 

Arthur nodded. After a while, he began to chatter again. The boy began to smile widely as he recalled Sarah teaching him how to kill a man by stabbing him in the kidneys. Suddenly, Jo laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked.

 "Nothing. It's just that when I was ten, I only learned how to shoot a BB gun. The only thing I learned how to kill were dang radroaches!" 

   Soon, the two were reached a crossroads outside of the city. Jo sighed. "Looks like we're going to go the rest of the way off the road," she told him. "It shouldn't be too dangerous." Arthur looked around the desolate land. He frowned. It was just like the city. "Come on, we have a little while before we can stop for the night. I'll tell you some stories too if you like."

   Arthur listened intently to Jo as she told him of places that he could only dream of.  Oasis. Little Lamplight. Rivet City. Everything she talked about soon found its way written on the squire's notepad. Arefu. Vault 101. Vault 112. The duo could barely breathe while she told him about the "Republic of Dave".  Arthur managed to crack his eyes open to wipe away tears when he noticed in the distance a figure. He looked up to barely make out the outline of power armor before the figure disappeared. The boy looked back at Jo, but the 19-year-old just continued to talk about her adventures. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    After what hardly felt like an hour, the two arrived at their destination: Megaton.  Arthur watched in awe as the giant aircraft wings slowly opened, revealing a gate inside. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jo smile and felt her take his hand. He nearly froze. He looked up at her eyes but she kept smiling. "Come on! Let's go!" She led him inside and Arthur studied everything as closely as possible.  A man with a cowboy hat stood at the entrance and smiled when he saw the two enter. 

 "Hey there, Jo! It's been a while! Who's the kid?" 

  Arthur looked up at Jo and she gave him a nod. "Go ahead. Introduce yourself." Arthur looked up at the man. 

 "I am squire Arthur Maxson, loyal servant of steel. It's...it's an honor to make your acquaintance, sir." The man suddenly let out a laugh and looked at Jo. She just smiled at the man. 

 "Nice to meet you too, Arthur. Name's Lucas Simms. I have a son your age. I'm sure he'd like to meet you." Arthur smiled. 

 "I'd be honored to, sir." Lucas smiled and gave him a nod.

"Alright, you two take care. I'll see you around, Jo." And with that, the man walked off.  

 "Hey, Arthur. You don't need to be so formal. We're not at the Citadel. Just be yourself, you know?" Arthur looked down at his feet and felt himself blush. 

"Oh! O-of course, Jo. I'm sorry." 

  
"Hey, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Now, you hungry, kiddo?" Arthur felt his stomach rumble and nodded. "Well, I know just the place! Follow me!" Jo began to walk down. Arthur watched as she walked down and felt himself smile.  Jo turned around and looked up at Arthur, confused. "You gonna come or what?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 "And welcome to my humble abode!" Jo opened the door to her shack. Arthur slowly walked inside and absorbed his surroundings. The house was simple enough as it was and fairly empty. A Mr.Handy made its way to Jo. "Good to see you alive and well today, Madame," it greeted. 

 "Hey, Wadsworth. Do we have any extra pillows, blankets, or maybe even a mattress? I need you to set it up in the room upstairs." she ordered. 

 "I'll check right away!" And with that, the Mr.Handy was off.  

"You have a butler?" Arthur asked. Jo shrugged. 

"Eh. It came with the house. It's not much, but hey, it's home!" Jo disappeared into a small room next to the stairs and soon music began to fill the small shack. Then Jo's voice called out to him."Hey, kiddo! I'm going to cook us a little meal. Try not to break anything, alright?" 

 "Alright!" he called back. He scanned the room before seeing a bobblehead stand nearby. Arthur quickly looked over all the ones she had displayed before continuing his search of the house. Soon, the boy made his way upstairs. Just like downstairs, there wasn't much. However, he noticed Wadsworth standing by a door. 

 "Arthur Maxson!" The robot called out. Arthur raised an eyebrow. 

"You know my name?" he asked. 

"Yes. Madame Joanne has talked about you before. Your bed will be in here. Now, is there anything you need me to do?" 

"Oh, um. No thank you, Wadsworth." The Mr.Handy muttered something before returning downstairs. 

   Arthur opened the door to his room and peeked inside. All that was inside was a mattress with a thin blanket over it and an empty shelf. Meanwhile, down below, the music continued to play. 

_Into each life some rain must fall...but too much is falling in mine..._

    Soon, the young boy found himself in Jo's bedroom. Arthur slowly walked inside and scanned the room. There was a small bed in the back next to a file cabinet. Finally, Arthur's eyes landed on a desk. There were a couple of scattered papers on the desk, and a BB gun leaning on to it. There was also a small picture frame. 

_Into each heart some tears must fall..._

    It was a photograph of a little girl in a Vault suit smiling with a party hat on. She held a BB gun in her hand. Behind her was a man also in a vault suit, but with a lab coat on. He had a hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled fondly at the camera. 

   "Jo..." 

  "Hey, kiddo. Food's done." Arthur looked up to see Jo leaning against the doorway. 

_Some folks can lose the blues in their hearts..._

 "Jo? Who's this?" 

    Jo stood up and walked over to the desk. She smiled when she saw the picture. "It's me and my dad on my tenth birthday. He got me this BB gun right here actually. My friend Amata planned the party. Life was great." Jo picked up the gun and sighed. She frowned. 

"But those days are over. Amata told me I can't go back to the Vault, not until everything is settled. And dad..." Jo looked back at Arthur and smiled. 

 "Hey, better get your food while its hot, kiddo. I'll be down there in a second." Arthur slowly nodded and left for the kitchen. 

_Into each life some rain must fall, but too much is falling in mine..._

 Jo's food was cold by the time she joined Arthur for dinner. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The world outside soon became dark as Arthur sat in his room reading an old Pre-war book Jo had. John Hedges' "A Single Promise", a story about a girl whose brother went to fight in a war and never came back. 

_'You promise to come back right? Lucille pleaded. Franklin looked at Lucille and smiled. 'I promise.' And with that, he hopped onto the jeep with the rest of the soldiers and gave one last wave before succumbing to the abyss, never to return."_

Knock knock. 

Arthur looked up to see Jo, leaning against the doorway. "You busy?" she asked. Arthur shook his head and Jo walked over to him. She sat next to him and smiled. "Already on page 60? You read fast." 

"It's interesting," he told her. Jo nodded. 

"Yeah. I used to read it a lot back in the Vault. Amata and I would talk about it all the time." She began to smile fondly. She sighed. "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about...well about earlier. You shouldn't have seen that." 

  "No, it's okay," Arthur tried to reassure her. "You just got upset is all. We all do sometimes." 

 "No, no. I...I just want to explain everything, you know. The day we met...my dad had just been killed. I was helping him with Project Purity and the Enclave came. They wanted to take it over. I tried to save him, but he locked me out. Then he...then he sacrificed himself to save the other scientists and to save...to save me. He told me to run before he died. He died from radiation exposure. Everyone thought he was really great, you know. He was trying to give the Commonwealth purified water and...well now it's just me. His daughter. Everyone expects me to be like him, Arthur. Like how everyone expects you to be like Roger Maxson. But I can't be like him...At least not like how people want me to be.”

    "I don't think I can be a normal boy either," Arthur muttered. Jo looked at him, her eyes wide open. "I mean, I want to. I want to think I am. But how can I be a normal boy in the apocalypse? When everything and everyone is out to kill you." He sighed. "I have to be strong, like Roger Maxson. Everyone is expecting me to be." 

  "And everyone is expecting me to be like my dad. They need me to, with the Enclave here. And you know what, I'll admit that in a way, I am. People have already told me that before. But, you know what, Arthur? I'm going to work to be even better than him. You'll see." Then, she smiled. 

  "Maybe you should work towards that too, you know?" Arthur nodded. 

 "Yeah. Of course," he answered. "I will." Jo looked down at her small silver ring and spun it around her finger. 

 "I got this for my sixteenth birthday from my dad. I like to think he's watching me, you know?" 

 "My parents died when I was an infant. I never really got the chance to meet them. I sometimes hope that they're watching me from above too." Arthur sighed. 

"Are we going to go into town tomorrow?" he asked. Jo nodded. 

"Yeah. But we'll have to leave after lunch. When we get back, I have to go do a mission...I'm going to Vault 87. I won't be around for a few days, though. Just so you know, kiddo." Jo ruffled Arthur's hair, causing him to laugh. "You're so cute, you know? I'm gonna go to bed. Just wake me up if you need anything and here..." She handed him her Pip-Boy. "In case you need it." She stood up and went to the door. She looked over her shoulder at him and gave him a small wave. "Goodnight, Arthur." 

"Goodnight, Jo." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Arthur sat quietly at Jo's desk, with her Pip-boy light by his side. His notepad sat on the desk as Arthur etched his day into it. 

_4/5/2277_

     _Jo took me to Megaton today. It took all day but it was cool seeing the Wasteland. I finally got out of town. The Wasteland is so cool! But everything was already dead when we came across it. Megaton is cool though. They have a cool entrance and there's a nuke in the middle of town! I wish the Citadel was cool like that. Maybe when I get back I'll write a story about it all!_

   Arthur put down the pen and took a deep breath. He took Jo's Pip-Boy and looked back at her. She was already fast asleep. He smiled and whispered "good night" before walking out of her room. As he walked out, he noticed Wadsworth shut down in a corner. Jo said it was to "preserve fuel". The boy used the light from the Pip-Boy to find his room and when he found it, he crawled onto his mattress and shut off the light. 

 It became pitch black. 

click.

Arthur frowned and listened again. He was probably imagining things.

click. snap. A muffled curse. 

   Arthur snapped up from his sleep and grabbed the Pip-Boy and his pistol. He stood up and walked to Jo's room. He heard the noises again and watched the door. He turned off the pip-boy and watched the door. As if on cue, Arthur watched as the door silently creaked open and moonlight enters the living room. Arthur hid behind the wall and quickly went to Jo. He shook her awake as quietly as he could, shushing her when she groggily woke up. Jo quieted the moment she heard whispers from the living room. 

_"Find her."_

   Jo, in nothing but a shirt and underwear, grabbed her pistol from under her bed and slowly sneaked towards the entrance to her bedroom. She looked back at Arthur, who was following her lead. 

   "Stay behind me," she whispered. Arthur nodded. There were footsteps stomping on the stairs and Jo aimed her gun. Suddenly, she fired. Immediately, the whispers turned into shouts as gunfire ensued. Arthur hid behind the adjacent wall as Jo began to fire at the intruders. A man screamed and collapsed down the stairs, causing a loud crash. More gunfire. Jo let out a yell and Arthur saw during the flashes of light something red forming on the side of her shirt. Another yell. This time from a man. Jo got up and ran towards the stairs. Arthur stayed in her room but watched as another man in combat armor ran up to Jo and swung something at her. Jo quickly dodged his attack, but suddenly fell off the stairs and onto the hard ground. The man soon jumped on top of her. The boy could hear them struggle and suddenly heard Jo cry out in pain. 

 Arthur ran. The moonlight helped him as he ran down the stairs with his gun in hand.  The man was sitting on top of Jo with a knife over her. Jo's gun was a few feet away from her and Jo was pinned down except for her hands, which was trying to keep the man from plunging the knife into her chest. There was already blood forming on her chest. The man didn't even notice Arthur there. Arthur aimed the gun at his head. 

 A memory flashed in Arthur's head. Sarah. She was fighting a mutant when he shot her. Arthur shook it out of his head. Jo's life depended on it. He took a deep breath and fired the gun. The man quickly fell off of Jo, dead. Jo slowly got up and smiled at Arthur. "Arthur, thank yo-" 

Arthur walked over to the man's body and pointed the gun at it. He fired four more bullets into him with no hesitation. 

"Arthur!" Jo shouted. Arthur looked back at her and dropped the gun. He quickly hugged her. 

"Are you okay? They hurt you didn't they?" Jo sighed. 

"Yeah...I'm fine. I'll have Wadsworth fix me up, don't worry. I'm just worried about you. You didn’t have to shoot him five times. One was enough...”

“I had to make sure he was dead! But I killed him! And I didn't hit you!" Arthur exclaimed. Jo gave him a weak smile. 

  "Good job, kiddo." She slowly stood up and walked over to the dead man next to her. Arthur shined the light on him. Jo laughed. 

  "Talon Company," she explained. "Hey, can you look in this guy's pockets and see if you can find anything?" Arthur nodded and did as she asked. He took out a holotape and handed it to Jo, along with her Pip-Boy. Jo put it in and nearly burst out laughing. 

  "Boys and girls," she read aloud. "We've got ourselves another holier-than-thou white-knight who needs putting down. Here are the details: Name is Joanne, race is Asian, and sex is female. The bounty is 1000 this time around. And for a change of pace, they want the head this time. Good hunting!" Arthur frowned. 

 "Why is this funny to you? You could have died!" 

 "Don't worry. I deal with this all the time. I just didn't think..." Arthur could hear heavy footsteps outside. "Never mind...Hey, Arthur. Can I be alone for a minute please?" Arthur hesitantly nodded and made his way up the steps. He took one last glance at Jo and saw her at the door talking to a shadowy figure in power armor. He sighed and closed his door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really liking how this is going so far. I'm thinking about making it a little series after this story but I'm not so sure yet. Chapter 3 will probably come soon though haha.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo gives Arthur a small gift.

 

 Arthur laid in the dimly lit room. He could barely make out the soft humming of Jo downstairs. He listened as the rain pattered against the metal shack. His notepad sat in the middle of the room with scribbles written all over it. He picked up the pad and stared at it until words began to flow from his pencil to the aged paper as he finished his story. 

" _Now you listen here, Maguire!" Wollingsworth said. "Being Guardians of dear Miss Molly-Golly means we protect her in any way we can, even if that means unclogging the potty, or taking out the trash, or, yes, tidying up her room! And when the Crawly Creeps come - oh, and they will come - you'll get to do what was in your 'job description,' you mark my words..."_

 

 

  Arthur sighed and slowly got up from his mattress and opened the door. The rain continued to patter against the house.

 

_tippa tappa tippa tappa._

 

 Arthur found Wadsworth scurrying around as he picked up old books littered across the floor and sweeping away shells. The entrance was wide open and Arthur could clearly see two people in T-45d power armor guarding the door. He frowned as he recognized the laser rifles they held. Slowly, Arthur went down the stairs and looked around. The bodies were gone, but the blood wasn't. It stained the wall and floor. Arthur wondered if Wadsworth would ever scrub it out. From the kitchen, the boy could hear soft humming as something was sizzling. Hesitantly, he peeked into the well-lit kitchen to see Jo at her stove next to two cracked Mirelurk eggshells. He watched as her eyes focused on the eggs almost absentmindedly. Arthur cleared his throat, but Jo just continued to stare at her eggs, flipping them every once in a while.

 "Jo?" He finally spoke up. Jo looked up from her eggs and back at Arthur. She smiled.

 "Morning, kiddo. Can you go ahead and set the table for me? The eggs will be done in a second." Arthur nodded and grabbed the plates on her counter. He went back out to the living room and placed them out on a small table Wadsworth had set up. A few minutes later, the eggs were done. Jo brought them out and placed them on their plates before sitting down across from Arthur. She began to eat her food as the boy stared at his food. The teenager barely got a few bites in before she frowned. "What's wrong, Arthur?" she asked. 

 "How long has the Brotherhood been here?" he asked. Jo put her fork down and looked at him with a solemn expression. The boy looked up at her and sighed. "You can tell me. I already know." 

 "Since the beginning," she finally answered. "Elder Lyons wouldn't let us leave without them. They've been a distance away this whole time. Well...until last night I guess..." She shook her head. "You should eat kiddo. We have a long day ahead of us." 

 "Why?"

"We have to head back," Jo reluctantly said. "Elder Lyons orders. It didn't take long for them to find out about the break-in last night." Arthur opened his mouth to protest but soon decided against it. 

 "So no Megaton?" Jo shook her head.

"Sorry, Arthur..." Arthur sighed and looked down at his food. He ate a bite before putting his fork down again. "I tried to convince them. I really did." He didn't respond. Jo sighed and continued to eat. After a while, she finally finished eating her food and looked down at her Pip-boy. She scrolled down with dreary eyes. "I understand them though. It's dangerous to be around me. If you had gotten hurt, I wouldn't have been able to stand myself...I just..." Finally, something caught her eye. Arthur continued to play with his food.

 "It's okay. I understand." Jo looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"I..." She sighed. "I know it's not much, but I think we can see at least one part of town. I have to meet someone at Craterside Supply for an 'exclusive'. Do you wanna come with?" Arthur looked up at Jo and a small smile found its way on his face. He quickly nodded. "Well hurry up and eat your food then! I'll talk to the paladins outside and we'll leave immediately."

 Soon, with paladin escort, the two made their way to Craterside Supply. As the two walked into the small store, Arthur watched as Jo approached a woman with red hair. The two greeted each other as Arthur started to look around at the store until he noticed a man staring back at him. The man gave him a threatening glare before looking away. 

 "And who is this?" the red-haired woman asked. Arthur looked up at her and smiled.

 "I am Arthur Maxson!" He greeted. "Pleased to meet you!" The woman smiled.

"And it's a pleasure to meet you too." She then turned back to Jo. "Did you place the observer yet in a mirelurk nest yet?" Arthur's eyes widened.

 "Sure did!"

"Then tell me! You saw first hand! How do mirelurks act when they're alone?"

"Well..." Jo sighed. "They're savages with big claws and absolutely no interest in small talk. Trust me." She gave Arthur a little wink. "I tried. They seem mostly independent. I don't think there's any sort of 'society' there though." The woman smiled and took out a piece of paper.

 "Very interesting..." she muttered as she wrote something down. "Alright. Are you ready for the next part?" Jo nodded. "Alright. Next, I need to see how one handles injuries."

"What does that mean?" Jo asked.

 "I need you to come back to me whenever you're extremely hurt. Preferably with a crippled limb. I want to see what it's like having injuries like this." Arthur's jaw dropped. What was Jo getting involved in?

 "Alright!" Jo exclaimed, much to his shock. "I'll see you then!" She turned to Arthur and gave him another wink before leading him out of the store.

 Once outside, Arthur turned to Jo, asking her if she was crazy. She just laughed.

 "Don't worry! I only do that stuff when I'm bored. I'm not going to go out of my way to get crippled or anything now." The paladins guarding the entrance looked at Jo and Arthur. They both nodded. Jo sighed.

 "I'll tell you all about it on the way back. Come on. Let's take you home, kiddo."

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 After hours of walking under paladin escort, Arthur could finally see the Citadel as they approached it. He looked up at the adults around him and frowned. No one was talking, even Jo, who had ran out of stories an hour ago. The sky was cloudy, rain was possible. The young boy felt his feet ache every step he took, but he had to move forward. At this point, he just wanted to lie down in his bed. It took another hour before the group reached the doors to the Citadel. One of the paladins held the door open for him as Jo and him entered the Brotherhood base. Arthur looked up at Jo and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could let anything out, the two were approached by an initiate.

"Ma'am," he began, looking at Jo, "Elder Lyons requests to see you immediately."

 "Yeah, of course, I'll be there in a second. Just give me a moment." Jo looked down at Arthur and smiled. "That was fun, wouldn't you say? Let's do this again sometime." Arthur managed to let out a small smile.

"Yeah...yeah, that would be nice. You think, um, when you get back from your mission, you'll have more stories to tell?" Jo's face brightened. 

 "Of course! I can't wait. I'll see ya around, kiddo!" She ruffled Arthur's hair and laughed a little. 

"Yeah...I'll see you around..." Arthur watched as she followed the Initiate into the Laboratory and sighed. But then he heard them.

_"What were they thinking letting him go with her?"_

_"She's nothing but trouble."_

 "You'd _think they'd know better. Letting the last Maxson out there with that outsider."_

 Arthur turned around but everyone was already minding their own business. He frowned and hurried to his room. Once in his room, Arthur changed into his normal attire and sat down at his terminal, jotting down all of his experiences. Afterward, he wrote another note to Sarah to meet him in his room. There was a knock at his door and he looked up to see a man.

 "Combat practice in ten minutes, squire," he said before leaving. Back to the same old routine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Squire Arthur Maxson wandered through the hallways, making his way to the Lyon's Den. With a note in his hand, he passed everyone as they went on with their daily routine. As he entered the cafeteria, no one paid him any attention as he slid between two soldiers getting their meal. One initiate called him a squirt before going back to his meal. Most of the members of the Lyons Pride sat at a table, telling stories and laughing. Arthur smiled. He wondered what kind of stories Jo will bring back. 

  Arthur slipped into the Lyons Den and looked around for Sarah's bed.  He headed towards the bed in the corner of the room and knelt down beside the bed. He wedged the note into the mattress and got back up. 

_"It's been a while, Sarah. Meet me in my room when you have the chance. It's been a while. I know you're really busy, but I want to tell you about everything I saw in the Wasteland."_

 He walked out of the room and as he walked towards the Lyons Pride, he overheard Jo's name being mentioned. He listened to them as he walked past, curious.

_"You think Sarah will let her join us? She's not even Brotherhood."_

_"Probably. If she's not dead in the ground yet and gets a hold of the G.E.C.K."_

_"Who knows? Maybe she's out luring little kids again."_  The table erupted into laughter. Arthur balled his hand into a fist and turned around to confront the group, but they were already talking about something else. Arthur sighed and quickly left the cafeteria. He went back to his room and laid down in his bed, waiting. "Into Each Life" began to play on the radio. The boy closed his eyes and listened before slowly falling asleep.

Sarah never showed up that night. It's alright. He could try again tomorrow. Maybe Jo would return too. He smiled at the thought of her returning as he recorded everything into his terminal. But, as the nights went by, Arthur could feel his smile slowly turn into a frown as he laid alone in bed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Finally, after what felt like years of waiting, there was a small knock on his door. Arthur looked up from the terminal at the door. It was Jo. She was in her vault suit, but her eyes looked weary from travel. She was covered in blood and dirt and soot, but she still had that smile. The boy could hardly believe his eyes as she smiled at him. Jo gave him a small wave.

 "Hey, kiddo...Figured I'd stop by before I left..." Arthur ran up to Jo and hugged her as tight as he could. Jo wrapped her arms around him.

 "Left? Where are you going? You just got here...I've missed you..."

 "I..." Jo sighed and began to stroke his hair. Arthur held onto her tighter. He could feel the tears coming as he mumbled repeatedly for her not to go. Jo sighed. "Hey, Arthur? Can you look at me for a second?" Arthur let go of Jo and looked her in the eye. "I need you to do me a favor."

 "W-what is it, Jo?"

 "Something..." She took a deep breath and knelt down to the boy's level. "Something serious is about to happen. I have to go make sure everything is okay. I need you to stay in your room until it's over. Can you do that for me, please?" Arthur's eyes widened.

"Something serious? Jo? What's going on?" Jo looked down at the ground. "Jo, please, you have to tell me."

 "The Brotherhood is going to go take back Project Purity. I'm going with Sarah and the Lyons Pride to take it back." Arthur opened his mouth to object, but Jo immediately stopped him. "Listen, I know I just got back. I know I've been gone and you miss me. I'll make it up when all of this is over but I need to make sure you'll be safe. Can you do that for me please?"

 "What about you though?" Arthur exclaimed. "How do I know you'll be safe? The Enclave is dangerous! They have all those weapons and all those vertibirds and Elder Lyons doesn't even know what all they have! Who knows what'll happen? What if they, what if they..." Jo cupped her hand on Arthur's cheek.

 "Hey, hey, Arthur. Arthur, I promise I'll come back. I've always come back, haven't I? And you know I can handle anything that comes my way." She smiled, but Arthur's expression remained the same. The teenager's smile faded as she looked quickly around the room. "Look I..." The teenager down at her hand and smiled. She slowly took her hand off of his cheek. "I...I want you to do me another favor. I want you..." She took off her small silver ring and placed it in Arthur's hand. She closed his hands over it. "...to keep this safe for me. Can you do that? I'm going to want it back, you know." Arthur let out a weak smile and nodded. He didn't bother wiping away his tears.

 "I...I promise." Jo smiled. It seemed to light up the grey room.

"Good. Good. Thank you, Arthur."

"Hey, Jo...?" 

"Yeah, Arthur?" 

"Can...can you tell me your stories when you get back?" Arthur asked in a shaky voice.

Jo smiled and nodded. "Of course," she answered. "Of course. I can't wait. Trust me, I have tons now. The kids at Little Lamplight were really interesting this time around."

A voice boomed from above.

**" _Tactical assessment: Red Chinese victory... impossible._ "**

Suddenly, Jo hugged Arthur as tightly as she could. She ruffled his hair and smiled.

 "I gotta go. I'll be back soon, kiddo. You'll see. Just stay in here until it's safe, alright, Arthur?" She slowly let go and headed for the door.

"I'll be the first person you'll see when you get back. I promise!" Arthur told her. She took one last look at Arthur and smiled as she took out her laser rifle.

 

 

"I'll see you soon! Until then, Arthur!"

 

And just like that, she was gone.

 

Not even a minute later, a never ending drone of gunfire began to roar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The sound of gunfire continued to roar above as Arthur was curled up in bed. He clutched the ring as tightly as he could until his knuckles were white. Arthur stared at the ring, screaming inside.  Are they okay? Is she okay? Is Sarah okay? Is Jo okay? He gripped the ring tighter.

    "I'll see you soon!" she told him. "Until then, Arthur!"

  She said she'd be back soon. Arthur felt something roll down his cheek and stain his white mattress. He felt his body shake as his thoughts consumed him. How long had the gunfire lasted? An hour? Two hours? Ten hours? 

   Then he listened. The gunfire significantly died down. Then it stopped almost altogether.

  Arthur bolted from his bed and pushed past all of the frantic soldiers. Jo's last words rang in his head over and over again. " _I'll see you soon! I'll see you soon. I'll see you soon..._ " Arthur slammed the doors to the Bailey open, despite all of the people calling his name out. He made it halfway out before a paladin stepped in front of him and blocked him. Behind him, a knight grabbed him by his stomach.

 Arthur screamed and kicked the knight behind him until he was forced to let him go. He ran past the paladin in front of him and made a dash for the entrance. He arrived just in time for the door to slam open. 

 

_"I'll see you soon!"_

 

 A knight came rushing in carrying a blonde haired woman in his arms. Sarah. Her eyes were closed but before Arthur could see anything else, the knight rushed towards the MedBay. Jo's words began to ring in his head over and over and over again.  People began to gather around the entrance, almost blocking his view. He saw a line of injured members of the Pride enter, followed by cheers. More and more people crowded his view. Arthur struggled to push to the front. As he watched everyone come in, he felt himself shake more and more. Knight-Captain Calvin. Knight-Captain Dusk. Knight-Captain Gallows.

But no Jo.

Paladin Tristan. Glade. Kodiak. More and more injured. Prisoners. More cheers.

Arthur collapsed onto the ground but kept staring at the entrance. The cheers got louder and Arthur felt himself getting dizzy. But he kept watching until finally the cheers suddenly hushed.

Four knights came in carrying the body of Paladin Vargas.

But no Jo.

Soon, the group began to disband. The door closed. No Jo.

 Arthur stared at the door in silence. His heart was racing. Behind him, he could hear whispers. Deafening whispers. But none of the whispers belonged to her.

 Ten minutes passed.

Twenty minutes passed.

Forty minutes passed.

  Finally, Arthur heard footsteps walking up behind him. They stopped. Arthur didn't take his eyes off of the entrance. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. A wave of dread washed over him instantly.

 "Squire Maxson..." Elder Lyons. "...Joanne isn't coming back."

  Before the Elder even finished his sentence,  the young boy felt tears rushing down his face. The sturdy ground under him began to break. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing but choked sobs came out. Elder Lyons just stood behind him, silent. The boy slowly looked up at him after wiping away his tears as best as he could. The Elder just looked at him with soft eyes. Finally, Arthur finally choked out a strangled "how?"

  The Elder took a deep breath. "Project Purity was going to explode and the Enclave was going to poison the water. Joanne sacrificed herself to keep it from doing that and died of extreme radiation exposure. But thanks to her, the Capital Wasteland now has purified water. She saved everyone." 

 A memory flashed in his head. Her smile as she looked back at him. Her kind eyes. And those words. Those damn words.

 "I'm going to work to be even better than him. You'll see."

Then everything went black.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The funeral wasn't until a week after the battle, when the radiation died down enough for a rescue team to secure Jo's body. They placed her body in a wooden casket and kept her dressed in her blue jumpsuit. Despite the rain, everyone at the Citadel came. Everyone except Sarah, who was still in a coma from the radiation. Arthur sat, dressed in black, next to Elder Lyons at the front. He held tightly onto the small silver ring he vowed to protect.  "Amazing Grace" was played as several strangers came to talk about Jo. Amata, her friend from the Vault; Fawkes, a super mutant she saved; Star Paladin Cross, Butch, Madison Li, Elder Lyons...

 Arthur sat and stared at the casket. No tears. He ran out of those days ago. His mind wandered. _Did it hurt? Did she know? There's no way she could've known. What was her last words? Who or what was she thinking of in the end? Was she thinking of me?_

 Elder Lyons finished speaking and soon it was time. They took her body and buried her inside of the Citadel. As they buried her, people began to leave and resume their duties. First it was random knights. Then acquaintances. It was just her family from the Vault, the Elder, and him left. But then when she was completely buried, everyone left. Everyone but him. And when Arthur was alone, he cried. He opened his mouth to say goodbye, but nothing came out. Maybe if he never said goodbye, she'd never have to leave. The boy collapsed onto the ground and cried. 

 It would be the last time he'd cry for several years. 

After an hour of sitting by Jo's grave, he walked back inside to his room where he first met her, still grasping onto the small silver ring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Elder Maxson stood triumphantly in the Command Deck of the Prydwen. He looked at his men as they lined up in front of him almost as proud as he was. Behind his back, he held tightly onto a necklace with a small silver ring attached. Soon, everyone was in place. He began to speak.

 "Brothers and sisters, the road behind us has been long and fraught with difficulty..." He continued with his speech, letting his voice ring out on the deck. He looked everyone in the eye as they listened. The Institute. Their synths. They listened with a fire in their hearts. The Elder turned to look out at the Commonwealth. Through his tainted window, he could see the ruins of a once great nation. A time of happiness that would never come back. The end of the world. He looked back at his soldiers and as he spoke, he noticed a woman at the doorway.

 She wore a blue jumpsuit and a small golden ring on her left ring finger.

 "But in the end, we will be saving humankind from its worst enemy...itself. Ad Victoriam!"

"Ad Victoriam!" His men cried out.

And then they all left, except for the woman in the blue jumpsuit. She approached the Elder and held out her hand.

"Greetings, Elder. I'm Rebecca Cross."

He took her hand.

"Hail to you, Initate. I am Elder Arthur Maxson." 

As Elder Maxson talked to the vault dweller, he heard a faint voice in his ear and sighed. 

 

_"Until then, Arthur!"_

Until then. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeeeeeeeah I did some thinking and I think I'll make this a series haha. I have an idea and it seems pretty solid ^_^ 
> 
>  
> 
> Also sorry .-.
> 
> I'm mean ._.
> 
>  Update (2/24/19): Just fleshed out one of the scenes in the story and added slight changes to the dialogue to make the story flow better.


End file.
